Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
Open Access

Compilation of Euibangyoochi and the tradition of alimentotherapy in Korea

3^rd Global Summit on Herbals & Traditional Medicine

October 18-20, 2017 Osaka, Japan

Lee Jeounghwa, AHN, Sangwoo and Lee Minho

Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Republic of Korea

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Med Aromat Plants

Abstract :

Korean peninsula has diverse vegetation and fluctuant climate throughout the year. Adapting to this kind of natural environment efficiently, Korean people has developed healthful alimentotherapy to assist healthcare, and succeeded in remarkable improvement of health. Among them worked on specific diseases or compensated constitutional disadvantage. These alimentotherapies had been devised by royal doctors and applied in the court at first. Then it was accepted by scholarofficials as one of traditional yangsaeng technique, and eventually reflected in diets of noble families and ordinary people. Also, these kinds of traditional knowledge have changed creatively and been handed down from generation to generation. These days, people often say â�?�?medicine and food originate from the same sourceâ�?, citing a pharmacologist in Qing dynasty. However, it is understood only in an elementary level, as food ingredients may also have medicinal effect. This is a dangerous idea and wrong approach; the original of purpose the quote was that both food ingredients and medicine have to follow the principles of Four Qi and Five Flavors, and tonification and purgation of organs. Donguibogam rather argues treatment of diseases with food and medicine. This argument is about useful methods of preventing and treating diseases adopting interaction and harmony between food and medicine. The corresponding concept and term used in traditional medicine is food-cure or food-treatment. It is derived from â�?�?food-doctorâ�? written in the Rites of Zhou in 2nd century B.C., but specific usages are shown since late Goryeo and early Joseon dynasty. Particularly in Joseon dynasty, Jeon Suneui, a medical-official of Naeuiwon, was a talented fooddoctor as he had written Sikryochanyo, Abstracts on Food Treatment). The tradition of alimentotherapy in Joseon is based on Euibangyoochui, the largest text on medicine in Korea, and was succeeded by Euirimchwalyo and Donguibogam. It later flourished with Jejungshinpyeon in the reign of King Jeongjo. Especially Donguibogam, UNESCOâ�?�?s Memory of the World, emphasized the importance of alimentotherapy, asserting that doctors should treat the disease first with food, and when it is not treated by food, use prescriptions. This article summarizes the compilation of Euibangyoochui, which contains the origin of Korean traditional alimentotherapy, and then explores several important aspects of the tradition of alimentotherapy in Korea, by studying the organization of â�?�?the Chapter on Food-treatmentâ�?, composing an independent part of this massive medical text.

Biography :

Jeounghwa Lee is working in Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine which is in Republic Korea and his research interest is bsed on Herbal Medicine, Herbs etc.